This November, JKHA students had the opportunity to learn about their country, the freedoms they enjoy here and the people that help preserve these freedoms.

In honor of Election Day, the students in lower school discussed elections, voting and how a winner is chosen. They learned about how elected officials help take care of our towns, states and country. Classes held various elections in their grades, voting whether they would prefer to have Soft Sweatshirt Day or Silly Sock Day, which Miss Nelson book they enjoyed reading the most, and more. Once all the votes were cast, they tallied them on a tally graph. The students then “became” their vote as they placed themselves onto a human graph. Middle school students exercised their right to vote by campaigning for and holding Student Council elections.

After learning about some of the freedoms in our country, JKHA lower school students learned about the people in the U.S. Armed Forces that help us obtain and maintain those freedoms. On Veteran’s Day, students honored our veterans and learned about American symbols, what a veteran is and the different divisions of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In keeping with the JKHA theme of kindness this year, the students decided to send letters of gratitude. Lower school students colored sheets and filled out cards to be sent to army personnel through Operation Gratitude, an organization whose mission is to “lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of our Active Duty and Veteran communities, and provide volunteer opportunities for all Americans to express their appreciation to members of our Military.”

Middle school students filled out letters expressing their thanks and appreciation to the current members of the U.S. army. They wrote the letters in Chanukah cards to Jewish soldiers who are stationed overseas. The cards and letters will be distributed to the Jewish soldiers on Chanukah through The Jewish Soldiers Project.